Constructor: Jill Singer

Relative issue: Medium-Challenging (***for a Monday***) (only a tad on the gradual facet is all)

THEME: “WHAT’S BUGGING YOU?” (36A: “Why the troubled look?” … or a touch to 17-, 24-, 48- and 58-Across) — metaphorical insect phrases signifying disturbance:

Theme solutions:

• BUTTERFLIES / IN MY STOMACH (17A: “With 58-Across, “I’m so nervous! There are …”)
• BEE IN MY BONNET (24A: “I can not cease fascinated with it! There’s a …”)
• ANTS IN MY PANTS (48A: “I can not sit nonetheless! There are …”)

Word of the Day: SOBA (1D: Japanese buckwheat noodle) —

Soba (そば or 蕎麦, “buckwheat”) is a skinny Japanese noodle produced from buckwheat. The noodles are served both chilled with a dipping sauce, or sizzling in a noodle soup. The selection Nagano soba consists of wheat flour.

In Japan, soba noodles will be present in a wide range of settings, from “quick meals” locations to costly specialty eating places. Markets promote dried noodles and men-tsuyu, or prompt noodle broth, to make house preparation simple. All kinds of dishes, each sizzling for winter and chilly for summer time, makes use of these noodles. (wikipedia)

• • •

Gonna must be a fast one as we speak as a result of regardless of the “additional” hour I’m someway strapped for time this night. Conceptually this theme is excellent. As for the execution, I wasn’t so into it. Really did not look after the break up first themer, principally as a result of it slowed me down significantly, but in addition as a result of splitting a themer that badly (placing half 2 wayyyy on the opposite facet of the grid) type of deadens its impact. I do not *need* to go all the way in which over the opposite facet of the grid in the course of fixing my Monday puzzle. So I do not. I simply wait. Which means I simply get BUTTERFLIES. Which is not terribly attention-grabbing. Also, I do not understand how nice the entire cluing conceit is. The use of imagined quotations, the place we’re supposed to finish the elliptical phrases … I suppose all these theme clues are presupposed to be *responses* to the central query “WHAT’S BUGGING YOU?,” however once more, all the pieces is so out of order that the theme simply would not have the affect that it ought to have. It actually wasn’t till I used to be all the way in which carried out with the puzzle that I used to be in a position to return and see how all the pieces was presupposed to work. It felt a bit labored and awkward in execution. But I do suppose the core idea may be very intelligent. 

The fill, nevertheless, yikes, I stay baffled that constructors aren’t held to larger requirements, aren’t ordered again to the drafting board to make the fill smoother, cleaner, extra polished. That BUTI ENTO IONO ECRU UNUM ESE middle is just about inedible, and far of the shorter stuff all around the grid is not a lot better (MTS ICET PHYS YAYAS APRS (!!?!!?!) and so on.). I preferred MASTODON, particularly as a result of it is having a (social media) second proper now as untold numbers of individuals flee The Bird Site. Bye bye, TWEETs! (I’m on MASTODON now @rexparker@mastodon.on-line, by the way in which, not that you must care within the slightest) (10D: Extinct megafauna species whose identify derives from the Greek for “breast tooth”). I preferred BY MISTAKE as effectively—that is a prepositional phrase I can get behind. I used to be gradual as we speak due to UDON earlier than SOBA and ISH earlier than EST (4D: Approx.). Also ENDO- earlier than ENTO– and ATMO- earlier than IONO– and completely no concept about BORN till I get Every Single Cross, what a bizarre clue (38D: Created). That’s it. 

Oh, and one final thing: please go see DECISION TO LEAVE (2022), each as a result of it is nice and since I’ve questions.